The Republican Texas senator may not seek the White House, although he sure seems interested. His undiluted tea party conservatism may prove too strong a brew for voters, although it has certainly made him popular with the GOP base.

But one thing that won’t stop Cruz from someday sitting in the Oval Office is his dual Canadian citizenship.

Nothing against Canada, but I'm an American by birth and as a U.S. senator, I believe I should be only an American.- Texas Sen. Ted Cruz

On Tuesday, the Alberta-born lawmaker informed the Dallas Morning News that he had formally renounced his ties to the United States’ northern neighbor.

“He’s pleased to receive the notification and glad to have this process finalized,” spokeswoman Catherine Frazier told the newspaper, which broke the story of Cruz’s dual citizenship in August.

Although born in Canada on Dec. 22, 1970, Cruz instantly became a U.S. citizen because his mother was American. At the same time, under Canadian law, he automatically became a citizen of that country as well.

Cruz said he was unaware of his dual citizenship until informed by the newspaper and vowed to immediately take steps to change his status. “Nothing against Canada, but I’m an American by birth and as a U.S. senator, I believe I should be only an American,” he said.

Cruz’s Canadian citizenship would not necessarily have been a legal impediment to a presidential bid, but it was a potential political liability. Opponents dubbed him “Canadian Ted” and some questioned his eligibility to serve as president, given the constitutional requirement the chief executive be a “natural-born citizen.”

Cruz’s renunciation of his Canadian citizenship became official on May 14; word arrived by mail at the senator’s Houston home Tuesday.

Some will doubtless continue to challenge his legal standing if he seeks the presidency in 2016, as seems likely. Many critics still question President Obama’s eligibility to serve, despite irrefutable proof he was born in Hawaii and not Kenya, as some of the conspiracy-minded suggest.

Amid heightened speculation about whether he will seek the Democratic presidential nomination, Vice President Joe Biden remains at least a month from a decision and has largely left preparatory work to a small circle of trusted longtime aides.

Perched in his wheelchair, "Big Jim" Blake confidently rolls the wooden floors of his old shoot-'em-up saloon, founded here in 1893. The history of the Cowboy Bar is populated with drifters, outlaws and outliers, and its present proprietor brims with wild yarns and tall tales.

President Obama will impose even steeper cuts on greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. power plants than previously expected, White House officials said early Sunday, in what the president called the most significant step the country has ever taken to fight global warming.